The HTC Thunderbolt on Verizon is one heck of an Android superphone. With a 4.3", 800 x 480 display, 4G LTE, Android OS 2.2 Froyo with HTC Sense, the Thunderbolt definitely says "take that!" to Sprint's HTC EVO 4G. LTE speeds are wonderful and we're seeing 8 to 11Mbps download speeds and insane upload speeds on LTE. This beats the pants off WiMAX and does better than T-Mobile's 4G HSPA+ (we won't even talk about AT&T's HSPA+ 4G that runs at 3G speeds right now).

The Thunderbolt will be available March 17 for $249 with a 2 year contract. Verizon Wireless' unlimited 4G data plan costs $30/month, and if you want to use the WiFi Hotspot whee the phone can act as a WiFi access point for up to 8 clients, that will set you back an additional $20/month.

The HTC Thunderbolt is elegant and attractive, and you can see its heritage with prior phones like the HTC HD7, EVO and HTC Inspire 4G. This is a large phone folks, and not super-slim, so no tight pants pockets need apply.

Here's our HTC Thunderbolt video review:

Our full written review will follow in a few days, once we put it through its paces. Having used it for a day, we can tell you it is indeed an excellent smartphone and one of Verizon's best.